It was a short climb up one flight of stairs, and they stood in the middle of a long, wide hallway lined with doors. El opened the closest door and held the torch overhead, its feeble light was swallowed in the darkness. “Let’s try the south wall. I noticed one of the dragon doors were open when we were roaming the city. We should be able to see in there with the daylight shining in.” At the end of the hall a dim light came from beneath one of the doors. El held up the torch as she flipped the rusted latch to the side. “This must be the one!”
Ammon pushed his shoulder against the door and it slid heavily to one side. Cobwebs and dust stirred, and the torch flickered as a small breeze came through the dragon entrance. Leaves and twigs littered the corners from abandoned bird nests, but otherwise the layout of the Nest was similar to the ones in Gaul. A tender’s room was located just inside the door, and beside it were several neatly stacked metal lined buckets. A heavy wrought iron poker and tongs lay in the corner thickly layered with dust. The furnaces in each corner of the room were built of stone and mortar, rather than carved out of rock, and the firebox doors were larger. Like the Hold beneath them, they were designed for firewood rather than coal, and Ammon suspected they worked just as well.
He smiled at El. “I bet there is a beautiful view of the city from up here!” He started to walk around the large sunken area in the center of the floor and as he went past he looked down. He froze so suddenly that El bumped into him and nearly knocked him over.
Taking a quick step backwards she mumbled. “Give a little warning would ya?”
“Give me the torch for a minute!” She started to protest but Ammon cut her short. “Give me the torch!”
She handed it to him and he knelt down and held it over the deep depression in the floor.
El gasped. “Are those…?”
Ammon nodded. “Eggs!”
The ladder had long since rotted away but the iron bolts that anchored to the side were still solid. Ammon handed the torch back to El as he removed his shirt. He twisted it tight, then tied the sleeves to the iron peg and carefully climbed down into the Nest. He ran his hand across each of the eggs and shook his head in disbelief.
“There are twenty-five eggs down here and they’re still warm! They must have just been laid very recently! With everything that’s happened it never occurred to me that it was laying season! We’ve got to get a fire started and bring up the temperature in here in a hurry!”
He scrambled up the side, ran to each of the furnaces and began wrestling with the doors. Two of them opened with force, but the others were hopelessly rusted shut. He grabbed armfuls of sticks from the abandoned bird nests and stuffed them into the furnace then shoved the torch in. The dried twigs burst into flames and he slammed the furnace shut. He dusted his hands off and looked at the huge dragon entrance and frowned. “We’ve got to close that to keep the heat in!”
The huge dragon door hung on massive brass hinges and opened inwards. There was just enough room for Ammon to fit between the wall and the door and he braced his back against the wall and pushed. The door creaked, but barely moved an inch. El dropped the torch and slid next to Ammon. With both of them pushing, it reluctantly began to move, slowly at first and then with a loud snap, the stuck hinges let go and the door swung free. They pushed it shut and jammed a few sticks under the bottom to keep it closed.
Ammon ran to the Tender’s room, dragged out a chair, and smashed it against the floor. As he loaded the pieces into the furnace he turned to El. “Take the torch and find Theo! Tell him we need firewood, lots of firewood…and a blacksmith with tools to fix the other furnace doors! Hurry! If the eggs chill the dragons will die!”
El grabbed the torch and ran down the hall, leaving Ammon to sit in the darkened Nest with Fulgid. The only light he could see was from the cracks around the large dragon doorway, and the two glittering dots of Fulgid’s eyes. He couldn’t help but laugh as he recalled what had happened the last time he was in a Nest. So many things had changed since the day of Fulgid’s hatch. It seemed almost surreal to be tending eggs once more. Fulgid stretched out across his lap and they listened to the wood crack and pop inside the furnace. It was incredibly peaceful.
The serenity of the Nest didn’t last long. Soon Ammon could hear the thumping of footsteps coming down the hallway. With torches held high, El and Theo burst through the door with Derek following closely behind carrying a giant armful of firewood. Ammon stoked the furnaces while Theo and Derek peered down at the eggs in disbelief.
Theo rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen so many eggs in one place before! Ebony flew off this morning with a few other dragons, but I just assumed they went hunting! This far from home I wouldn’t have thought any of them would have laid eggs this season!”
Ammon shrugged. “They must have felt this was close enough to a home for eggs! Anyway, I need to know where I can get a cot and a leather shirt and breeches, and some leather gloves too. These furnaces will have to be cleaned more often than the coal furnaces in Gaul.”
Theo and Derek exchanged an odd look. Theo cleared his throat noisily. “Ammon…I’m afraid you can’t be a tender to these eggs.”
Ammon felt his heart skip a beat before he blurted out. “What do you mean I can’t tend to them? I won’t let them die! I’m a tender, this is what I do!”
Erik’s voice echoed across the room from the doorway. “Ammon, you are not a tender of eggs, you are the king. This nation needs you as it’s king. No one can stop you from visiting the Nest, but you have more important duties elsewhere. The egg you must tend now contains all of Gaul and DoTaria. I’m sorry.”
Ammon’s shoulders slumped as the realization sank in. Heartbroken, he looked down at the eggs. “Who will take care of them then? Who else here knows how to be a tender?”
There was a long silence before the rumble of Derek’s slow voice boomed. “I could do it if you’d teach me. I don’t have anything else to do and besides, people here don’t like me.”
The big man looked down at Ammon hopefully. Since arriving in Laton, he had gradually retreated to his room in the back of the Hold, rarely coming out. His great size and fearsome looks frightened most people, but something about him made the people of DoTaria exceptionally wary, and they went to great lengths to stay as far away as possible. Ammon sighed. He could see the sadness in Derek’s face and knew this was a perfect job for him. He liked Derek, and as much as he wanted to do the job himself, the big, simple man needed a place where he felt needed.
“Yes, Derek, I think you’d be an excellent tender. Just keep those furnaces going, and I’ll be back later to show you what else needs to be done.”
Ammon turned quickly on his heel and strode from the Nest with Fulgid trotting beside him. He didn’t stop until he entered his chambers and had closed the door behind him. With a disgusted grunt, he flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Fulgid curled around the pillow near his head and lay with his nose barely touching Ammon’s forehead. A clear golden voice chimed from the bubble deep in his consciousness. “AMMON.”
Ammon reached up and scratched the dragon behind his ears. “Yeah, I’ll be ok. I just don’t feel I’m who they want me to be.”
Fulgid closed his eyes, enjoying the scratch. The golden voice spoke once more. “AMMON KING.”
Ammon rolled his eyes. “You’ve been talking to Sasha and Erik haven’t you?”
There was a soft tap at the door before it opened slightly, and El stuck her head into the room. “Ammon? May I come in? Who are you talking to?”
Ammon replied with a humorous snort. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Come on in.”
El perched on the edge of the overstuffed chair facing the bed. Dust covered the hem of her gown and there was a large smudge on her left shoulder from pushing on the dragon door. Idly she tried flicking the dust off. “Are you ok? You looked upset when you left the Nest.”
Ammon took a deep breath before answering. “Yeah, I’m ok. I’m just tir
ed of everyone trying to make me into something more than who I am.” He sat up on the side of the bed he looked down at himself with a snicker. “Looks like I’ve lost another shirt eh?”
El giggled, and it sounded like the tinkle of bells. She held out the ruined hem of her gown to display the dust and grime ground into the cloth. “If I keep company with you, I’ll go through gowns like you go through shirts!” She stood up, walked to his wardrobe, and threw open the doors. She stood for a moment with a finger to her lips before reaching in and selecting a shirt. Holding it out for him to examine she said thoughtfully, “Here, why don’t you try this one on?”
Ammon took it from her and pulled his arms through the sleeves. The light blue silk of the shirt nearly matched her gown. He stood after he buttoned it and grinned. “Well?”
El walked slowly around him as she inspected it, nodding her head slowly in approval. “Yes, I think it’ll do nicely. I believe this may have been the nicest shirt you had in your wardrobe!”
Ammon looked down and felt his face redden. “You think so?”
El stepped closer and lifted his chin with her finger until their eyes met. “Yes, absolutely. Of course, it was the only shirt you had in your wardrobe, so that narrowed it down quite a bit. I’d suggest you ask your man Kyle to get more for you.”
Standing so close, Ammon could smell the flowery scent of her hair. Her deep brown eyes looked back at him with more than a hint of mischief. He smiled as he wiped a streak of dust off her cheek with his finger. “I’d better ask him for quite a few.”
For a long moment Ammon gazed into her eyes until Fulgid suddenly snored loudly on the pillow and they both burst out laughing.
El grabbed him by the hand and led him into the sitting room. “You have got to learn how to read, so let’s get started.”
Chapter 12
The Gathering
Ammon struggled to reproduce El’s elegant writing with his ink stained fingers. It was hard to concentrate when there was so much activity just outside the balcony window. Each day more DoTarian dragons arrived, and he longed to be outside watching the great beasts as they landed in the courtyard. He would have gladly given up long ago but for the pleasant company of El.
She pushed away the paper and gave him a fresh sheet. “Try again. Remember not to press so hard on the quill this time!”
He nodded obediently. Although she said she could see improvement in his work, to Ammon it seemed all he produced were blackened sheets of paper. He dipped the quill in the ink and started once again.
The tip had barely touched the paper when suddenly the chamber doors flew open and Sasha burst in unannounced. Almost instantly, he felt El’s demeanor chill several degrees like a winter wind. Her gentle instruction suddenly became harsh, and she moved her chair further away from his side. She was normally quite friendly and pleasant, but whenever the old woman was near, El’s attitude changed to a cold, unrelenting teacher.
Sasha eased herself into one of the overstuffed chairs and sat staring at the two of them. Idly, Ammon wondered why she insisted so vehemently that El should be dressed as if for a royal ball, when she herself appeared like an unsuccessful street beggar.
Distracted, Ammon’s quill smeared a large spot onto the paper, and El gave him a sharp rebuke. “Pay attention!”
Sasha’s voice creaked as she spoke up. “Enough, El. He is done for now.”
El lowered her head and softly said, “Yes, grandmother.”
Sasha folded her hands across her lap and stared hard at Ammon. “The knights of DoTaria have answered the call for a full Gathering and will meet in the Hall today.”
El had taught him enough to know a Gathering was a meeting between the knights of the Houses and the King. There had been a partial Gathering fifty years ago with Halos to discuss abandoning the city, but there hadn’t been a full Gathering in centuries. The last one to occur involved a land dispute between the leaders of the two most powerful Houses. As the minor Houses sided with one or the other, they eventually refused to attend a Gathering out of disdain for each other. The rift continued even after the city fell and the people scattered across the countryside. Now the Knights were returning to reclaim their Houses, and the feud was being revived.
Ammon wiped his ink-stained hands on a cloth. He had to present himself before these knights with his claim to the throne. Ironically, he might have to argue to win the throne that he didn’t want. “When do I meet with them?”
Sasha plucked at the rags of her dress as if wearing the finest gown. “Today. In about an hour.”
Ammon’s eyes widened. “You don’t give much warning, do you?”
Sasha stood up and shuffled towards the door. “You’ve had a week to prepare. They’re already filling the Hall. I’d suggest you wear something…appropriate.” She walked out without a backward glance.
Ammon looked down at the papers in front of him where he’d been attempting to write his name. Sasha had decided it was the first thing he should learn to write and had instructed El to help him. It looked like Fulgid had played in the ink and walked across the paper. He picked up the quill and began to carefully trace the letters. If he concentrated, then he wouldn’t think about the few hundred DoTarian knights he was about to meet. El sat quietly beside him, watching him write.
The hour passed quickly, and soon there was a knock on the door as Theo entered. He sighed and put the quill down. “Is it time already?”
Theo nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You will do well, Ammon. The page will announce you to the Hall before you enter and then will show you to your seat.” He started walking out the door and paused for a moment. “I will be nearby if you need me.”
Ammon waited a few minutes after Theo had left before donning the gold vest and sword. He checked himself in the bedroom mirror before walking out to the sitting room. Fulgid slid off the bed and casually strolled behind Ammon as if looking for a more comfortable place to nap.
El was waiting for him and took his hand between hers. Softly she spoke, “I should go now.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Don’t go…I mean…would you come with me? I mean, I might need your help...in case I have to write something?”
She tilted her head and looked up at him with a faint smile. “I will if you like.”
Ammon nodded with relief. The thought of standing in front of a few hundred people made his stomach hurt and he didn’t want to face that alone. They walked together to the Hall doors where the page was waiting, and as Ammon approached the boy, ducked out the door. A moment later the doors opened and El slipped her arm through his. They walked through together with Fulgid close behind.
A trumpet sounded as they passed through the tall arched doors of the massive Hall. Ammon’s step faltered in surprise as he surveyed the room. Beside every chair stood a knight and more lined the walls on either side. He only expected a few hundred DoTarian’s, but there was more! Much more! There were seats in the Hall for over a thousand, and there wasn’t nearly enough chairs! He swallowed hard and forced his feet to keep moving, keeping pace with El. A collective gasp echoed through the Hall when Fulgid came into view, and a murmur arose as they gaped at the brilliantly colored scales. As if to draw more attention, Fulgid suddenly leapt onto Ammon’s shoulder and stretched his neck to look down at the crowd as they passed.
Ammon followed the page to a row of chairs on the platform in front of the throne, and the boy motioned to a single empty seat beside Erik. Ammon leaned over and whispered to the page. “El is staying with me. Please find her a place to sit.”
The boy smiled broadly and quickly brought another chair. When they were finally seated, Sasha stepped forward, and with a single motion of her hand, the knights sat down with a great rumble of heavy chairs moving into their places.
She cleared her throat and spoke. Her raspy voice rang clear across the Hall. “Knights of DoTaria! I have called this Gathering to the great Hall. The first in over five decades! A little more than a
month ago, our brethren from the distant land of Gaul emerged from a tunnel beneath the impassible Southern Mountains. With them, they brought life and hope back to this dead city and back to DoTaria! With them comes knowledge of a calentar mine so rich it will provide us with an almost unlimited supply of dragon fire. A week ago, their dragons blessed our Nests with the first eggs laid in Laton in fifty years! But most of all, these honorable knights brought with them the fulfillment of the prophecy! They brought with them a direct descendant of Ethanel, son of Thaire, who was trapped in their land after the great cataclysm! As was Halos, he is of the House of Les, the last surviving member!”
She turned and pointed a crooked finger at the painting of Halos that now hung on the wall above the throne. The room erupted as men began talking and shouting. Sasha motioned for Ammon to stand. She held her hand up and waited for silence.
“Look at his face, at his eyes! He carries the crest on his ring! Can there be any doubt of his lineage? He is Ammon of the House of Les, King of Gaul! By his royal blood he is the rightful King of DoTaria!”
Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) Page 27